September 2010

Snooze Alarm

Sleep Rx for School Success

By Kim Seidel

Does this sound familiar? Jennifer Anderson's four children didn't have a bedtime schedule on summer nights. Instead, they enjoyed extra family time, played outdoor games and went to the neighborhood park. Her kids got to sleep between 10 and 10:30 p.m.

But all that changed two weeks before school started, when Anderson began to put her children to bed earlier to prepare them for the fall routine. "It's hard until once school starts," Anderson says. "Then, they understand that if they don't get to bed, they'll be tired all day."

"It's time for bed," is one of the most important phrases you can say to help your child be more successful in the upcoming school year, says Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, author of Sleepless in America (2006, HarperCollins). "Sound sleep is associated with top performance, sound reasoning, impulse control and more," Kurcinka says.

Take these steps to gain the advantages of a good night's sleep:

1. Meet sleep requirements.

The average school-age child requires about 10 hours a night, but kindergartners and first graders may need 11 to 12 hours, Kurcinka says.
Make sleeping a top priority for your entire family--your children, you and your spouse, too. "If we protect our own sleep as well as our children's, we will be better parents," Kurcinka says.

2. Take a reality check.

While parents want to do what's best, Kurcinka acknowledges the reality that busy children getting 10 hours of sleep each night may be a challenge for many families.
"We're a culture that doesn't value sleep," Kurcinka says. "We feel pressured that our children need to compete, so we enroll them in many activities to prepare them for adulthood."

As her oldest daughter, a seventh-grader, gets more deeply involved in sports and homework, Anderson says it's more difficult to make sure Mara gets enough sleep. She foresees the same challenges with Ella, a fifth-grader, and Calvin, a kindergartner. In the meantime, she makes sure her youngest, 3-year-old Grace, takes an afternoon nap.

3. Engage in activities earlier.

Many parents like Anderson juggle school-related activities that often occur in the evening, when a child needs to be winding down for sleeping. Yet as a parent, you can alter your decisions about participating in activities and running errands so sleep takes top priority in your household, Kurcinka says.

For example, rather than enrolling your child in swimming lessons after dinner, consider Saturday morning or after-school lessons instead. Run errands during the day, whenever possible.

"First, parents need to make sure a child will get enough sleep, and then they can plug activities into their calendars, and not the other way around--scheduling activities and having them sleep around their schedules," Kurcinka says.

4. Find support.

Parents may find they cannot honor their children's need for sleep without some support from other families.

"We need to create a message in our communities," Kurcinka says. "Parents can get together and ask important questions, such as, ‘Why does basketball practice need to begin at 8 p.m.?' They can let others know that they want their 9-year-olds to play basketball, but not at that time. Parents really can make a difference by speaking out."

5. Know health implications.

Anderson has always felt strongly about the benefits of sleep, and science has proved her right. "I believe sleep is important for the kids' behavior, health and attention spans."

Though scientists are still learning about the consequences of poor sleeping habits, research has clearly shown sleeping too little inhibits productivity and the ability to remember and consolidate information. Short sleep duration is linked with an increased risk for motor vehicle accidents, obesity, diabetes, heart problems, depression and substance abuse, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

"The repercussions of not getting enough sleep are so widespread," says Val Krage, a parent educator. "The risk factors and consequences are very eye-opening. Once parents understand it, they really react to it."

6. Make connections to benefits.

Many times, parents don't connect academic, behavioral and health issues with sleep, Krage says. Sleep directly impacts mental and physical development. School-age children on little sleep can suffer from mood swings and behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and cognitive difficulties, that impact their ability to learn in school, she says.

Various studies have pointed to chronically sleep-deprived children performing two grade levels below their peers on standardized tests. "Children are not equipped to learn when they're sleep deprived," Krage says.

7. Shift bedtimes.

For many families, the summer schedule--going to bed later and sleeping in longer--has disrupted sleep patterns for everyone. Ideally, families stick to a sleeping schedule all year long, including on weekends, not varying by more than one hour, Krage says.

Now as fall approaches, try to begin shifting your children's bedtimes and wake times closer to their school schedules. Start to move the schedule in 15-minute increments.

8. Promote good sleep habits.

Follow these tips from Kurcinka:

Kim Seidel is an award-winning writer and editor and the mother of two daughters. She specializes in parenting, health and wellness and family topics. Reach her at seidelink.com.